i been trying to keep my mouth shut about what im about to say but after watching things on tv im going to say it anyway. i do belive that fta and yes even sky news are really sensationalising things and are causing alarmism in people where there shouldnt be. night after night there are things on tv about this . people are going into alarmism and panicking about this because the media is causing people to do so .so if i want info on whats going on i watch it on youtube or via the local paper and via the local mayor of where i live , i dont defently watch tv if i want info
2 Likes
Looks like Seven News did run over-time in Sydney, Brisbane and Perth tonight for extra coronvirus coverage? Anyone able to confirm what EPG says?
Saw the Sydney feed of the movie (Ch 7), which is currently about about 15min behind the Melbourne feed (7mate).
I would’ve agreed with you two weeks ago.
But this is actually very serious now, and I personally think the networks are not in the wrong for having as much coverage as there is.
4 Likes
lets agree to disagree 
and i personally think the networks are in the wrong but as i said agree to disagree:)
1 Like
A total fallacy. For no second can anyone rationally deny that it’s a situation that is developing, and one that warrants extended coverage. In a crisis, the media has a social responsibility to be factual, timely and, above all, not make the situation worse.
Extended news bulletins and breaking into regular programming to share press conferences from governments are two good examples of this. So, with that said, what news today justifies airing a Saturday edition of A Current Affair? The seriousness of the story, for one, is totally wrong for the ACA brand - tabloid stories about dodgy builders and where to get the next bargain at ALDI are one thing, but a virus infecting more than 1,000 in Australia is another.
(As an aside, as mentioned in the A Current Affair - #1206 by TV.Cynic thread not all of the program was dedicated to coverage in the first place; perhaps producers know that audiences will switch off from a wall of noise after a week or so 
)
ACA in particular deserves to be criticised for their reporting on the pandemic where, especially early on, the show took an arguably opportunistic and, critically, a sensationalist tone. The media - both broadcast and social - are 100% culpable for stirring the pot with stories about supermarket stock “shortages” (actually an increase in demand), adding to the problem and failing the ‘not make the situation worse’ test.
News and analysis is one thing. Fear mongering is another, and deserves to be called out, no matter the source. While some here might not want to criticise an industry they work in - or perhaps wish they worked in - the idea that media exists in a vacuum and has no indirect affect on the emotions of its audience is disingenuous and dangerous.
14 Likes
I haven’t watched a TV news bulletin or listened to a radio station for almost two weeks.
2 Likes
Turns out Nine did really well last night, with 6pm news massive for a Saturday No. 1 program and the A Current Affair special also doing well and the late bulletin also making Top 20. About 7% higher share than their usual 12% main channel share on Saturdays during AFL season. Seven still won the night though thanks to the AFL. But ‘escapism’ was still evident with a big audience for Doc Martin on the ABC, biggest show after 7pm!
As usual 10 sunk deep into deep deep land.
Yep… missed opportunity for 10. As I stated last night, 10 needs to take full advantage of the extra viewers on a Saturday night and extend their news service to 6.30 and implement a Saturday edition of The Project.
But it’s 10, they move very slow on these things.
5 Likes
Not only deserves to be called out - it has to be called out - especially now when it has the potential to have significant impacts on what people think, say and do.
4 Likes
Caps of coverage from Melbourne:
ABC Victoria: (iview) Simulcast of ABC News Channel.
ABC News Channel: (iview) Presented from Canberra.
7 News Flash: (7Plus) Game Day was cut short to one hour with a 20 minute preview of the press conference with experts, presented from Sydney (Sally Bowrey) and Canberra.
9 News Breaking: (9Now) Conference broke into Footy Show mid-sentence a few moments after the PM started speaking, presented from Sydney.
10 News First/Studio 10: (10Play) Conference broke into Studio 10 mid-infomercial, no host/reporter.
Sky News: (Kayo) Presented from Canberra.
3 Likes
Well done on the caps. 6 channels taking the coverage.
SBS should be taking this as a standard measure.
4 Likes
They are a state broadcaster too! They don’t need hosts/reporters etc. just graphics and the feed can be played out of Mediahub(?), like what 10 have done today. Not that difficult.
3 Likes
But this will mean interrupting its broadcast of foreign-language bulletins which won’t be able to be repeated on Viceland later today. Plus, some people want to know what’s happening in their home countries during the coronavirus pandemic.
3 Likes
10 went back to advertorials at 11:50am.
9 went back to the footy show as well.
7 still broadcasting the press conference.
1 Like
N24 can probably turn off the Breakfast graphics, background and theme. It’s 12:30.
2 Likes